"The web has been alight these past few weeks with the details of the Apple v. Samsung lawsuit. It's been a unique opportunity to peer behind the curtain of how these two companies operate, as the trial seeks to answer the question: did Samsung copy Apple? But there's actually another question that I think is much more interesting to the future of innovation in the technology industry: regardless of whether the courts say that Samsung copied Apple or not, would we all be better off if we allowed - even encouraged - companies to copy one another?" This is very relevant.

I keep seeing this being asserted and nothing more. Before the iPad came out, anyone person familiar with sci-fi would have had the same idea for a tablet. The only thing that was holding it back was the technology wasn't quite there yet for most of computing's history.

And it was a market that didn't yields a lot of profits, if any. That's not a situation where you can be sure that a new tablet will sell and make money. Nobody predicted tablets would sell in these numbers.

Apple took a chance and it paid off. They tested the water and the rest jumped after them. Nothing wrong with that though.

Perhaps the technology was now available, hardware wise, but there was no software. Apple made iOS ready and it worked. Others had to do with Android which wasn't ready.

Again there is nothing Samsung brought to the mix, unlike Microsoft and RIM. Amazon even put in the effort with the Kindle Fire, which is based on Android, to make something that's not a shameless imitation.

Apple, Microsoft, RIM, Amazon and well, I guess even Google with Android are the innovators, Samsung spends its time making their stuff look like Apple's. This doesn't add to the innovation or customer choice.

Before the iPad came out, anyone person familiar with sci-fi would have had the same idea for a tablet.

You just put a bullet on Samsung's head.

If your statement is false: Not everyone could see iPad as a obvious path to tablets. So Apple is a true innovator.

If your statement is true: No company, not even Microsoft who first showed a tablet to the market, realize that. So they are all blinds going the wrong direction until iPad came out. Look for Samsung tablets before the iPad and see how different they are from Galaxys of today. So Apple is a true innovator. Or they were no blinds was obvious that this design was the way indeed. But there were no tech to build those things in a iPad like form and Apple was the first to achieve it. So Apple is a true innovator.

Do you realize that it doen't matters if your argument is true or false? Arguments don't change facts. An idea only became a innovation when is executed. Microsoft and Samsung didn't created the iPad because they were painting the wrong picture. At least you will not see a MS report on how to make Surface look and feel like the iPad. MS is following iPad but is trying to be an innovator also.